Conclusion

As it had thought to be beforehand, AFC qualifying Group 5 turned out to be a two-horse race between China and Iran. When the two came head to head for the first time, three matches from the group’s conclusion, both had a maximum points tally from their respective matches, though while Iran had met both Bangladesh and Thailand home and away, China’s home match with the Thais remained. 

China won 2-0 in Shenyang, and so looked like they had built up a handsome enough lead to take to the return leg in Tehran a week later. The Chinese had kept more or less the same team which had participated at the Olympic Games football tournament in September the year before, and so they were a well-oiled machinery. In the wake of that 2-0 win against the Iranians, the table read as follows: 

1. China 4 4 0 0 9-0 8
2. Iran 5 4 0 1 9-3 8
3. Bangladesh 6 1 0 5 4-9 2
4. Thailand 5 1 0 4 2-12 2

The permutations prior to the encounter between the group’s big two in the Iranian capital were saying how only a win by a large margin for the hosts would keep them in the quest to finish top of the pile. The key to the outcome was of course China’s final qualifier at home to a weak Thailand side, and they would go into that game knowing what was needed of them to progress through. Iran looked to be on their way to something special when they increased their lead to 3-0 early in the second half. If that had remained, China would need to win by four goals or more in their final match. The Iranians wanted so badly a fourth, but were instead hit by two sucker punches, and they eventually went flat. Everyone knew that the 3-2 scoreline favoured the Chinese to progress. 

A win by any margin against Thailand would see China finish top. They scored twice very early in the game, and the 2-0 scoreline stood through to full time. The Chinese won the group, and progressed through to the second qualification phase, which was a round-robin contest between the six winners of the first phase group stages, played on neutral ground in Singapore in October ’89. 

Final standings: 
1. China 6 5 0 1 13-3 10
2. Iran 6 5 0 1 12-5 10
3. Bangladesh 6 1 0 5 4-9 2
4. Thailand 6 1 0 5 2-14 2